A Teacher's Guide to EdTech: Spring Break 2024 Edition

In the spirit of spring break, my newsletters have also taken a brief pause recently. But rest assured, this silence isn't a sign of dormancy—quite the opposite, actually.

Behind the scenes, ideas have been taking root, and soon, I'll be sharing lots of announcements, including the much-anticipated release date for "A Teacher's Guide to AI."?

The last several weeks marked the most wonderful time of the year: EdTech conference season! I went on a six-week journey, crisscrossing the country from one event to another. The insights gathered from these conferences, coupled with the latest developments in AI, have made it a challenge to keep this newsletter concise!

I hope this March finds you enjoying a spring break. For the first time in a long while, I am taking spring break too and heading to Central America for some much needed sunshine.

This month's newsletter blossoms (that's the last spring pun, I promise!) with a variety of AI in education topics:

• AI: Rules of Thumb for Educators
• Custom GPTs for Educators?
• AI Literacy: General AI vs Generative AI vs AGI
• AI in the News: Have We Reached General AI?
• Where in the World is Lindy?
• Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Navigating AI: Rules of Thumb for Educators

The "Navigating AI: Rules of Thumb for Educators" infographic will be included in A Teacher's Guide to AI, but I want to make sure you have it now.

The infographic outlines three rules of thumb to follow when using AI tools as educators.

Get the Infographic

Tech Tool Spotlight: SchoolAI = Custom GPTs

Ever since OpenAI introduced the concept of GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) – essentially custom versions of ChatGPT tailored for specific purposes, audiences, or tasks – I've been daydreaming about a tool that lets educators craft their own "custom GPTs" for student learning. Enter SchoolAI, turning those dreams into reality with their innovative "Spaces" feature.

Spaces are essentially custom GPTs designed with educators in mind. Imagine creating a digital space where you set the stage with a prompt as broad or as detailed as you wish, directing the AI on how to support students in their learning journey. This could span any subject, task, or age group, making it an incredibly versatile tool.?

SchoolAI doesn't even have the option to create student accounts, so it is FERPA compliant. Due to the lack of student accounts, SchoolAI should meet many state and local data privacy laws as well. Tailored specifically for educational settings, SchoolAI guarantees that all AI-generated content is classroom-friendly.

To truly grasp the potential of "Spaces," you've got to see it in action. That's why I've set up a sample Space for you to explore. This particular Space is crafted for a creative writing exercise, inviting students to reimagine classic literary characters in contemporary scenarios. Choose one of the scenarios below, dive into the Space, and let the AI guide your storytelling adventure.:

• Sherlock Holmes finds himself on a space station, memory wiped clean, clueless about his identity or origins.
• Ishmael from "Moby Dick" lands in Kansas, where his new life as a corn farmer is worlds away from the sea.
• Elizabeth Bennet from "Pride and Prejudice" steps into a modern art gallery, tasked with critiquing contemporary art.

Try the Space

AI Literacy: Generative AI, General AI, and AGI, Oh My!

I have heard a lot of confusion lately between general AI, AGI and generative AI. These are key AI literacy definitions, so let's try to provide clarity:

There are two main categories of AI: narrow (or weak) AI and general (or strong) AI. Narrow AI is designed for a specific task or solves a specific problem. General AI refers to machines that possess the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across different domains.

Generative AI is a type of AI that can create (generate) new content, such as text, images, videos, and music. Many mistake generative AI for general AI. Although we continue to be blown away by generative AI’s capabilities, it is still narrow AI. While it can generate human-like responses and engage in conversation, it is specifically designed and trained for specific purposes. It does not possess a comprehensive understanding of the world or the ability to perform a wide range of intellectual tasks outside its design.

Examples of general AI include Rosey from the Jetsons or Andrew Martin from Bicentennial Man. Notice that the examples of general AI are fictional.

AGI takes the concept of General AI a step further. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is the ultimate goal, where machines can perform any intellectual task that a human can, without being specifically designed for each task. This is the capitalistic dream—an AI that can do anything a human can do.

AI in the News: Figure 01

OpenAI recently partnered with Figure to "push the boundaries of AI and robot learning." Last week they shared the first update from this partnership and boy, it was a big one.

They released the video below showing the Figure 01 robot can now:

• Describe its visual experience
• Plan future actions and use common sense reasoning -
• Reflect on its memory
• Explain its reasoning verbally

Figure is calling Figure 01 "the world’s first commercially-viable autonomous humanoid robot."

Autonomous robot = general AI. Does this mean general AI will soon be a reality?

Where in the World Is Lindy?

January and February were packed with presentations at the FETC, TCEA, NCCE, and DLAC conferences. Session topics ranged but were mostly focused around various AI in education topics. My most popular session was "AI-mazing Modern Assessments: Assessing in the Age of AI," where I help unpack how assessment must change in our AI-infused world, complete with an analogy.

I saw lots of friends and made lots of new friends!

I presented four AI-focused sessions at the Kane County Teacher Institute Day. In the last session of the day, educators got to experience "Chopped: AI Stars," an AI-friendly teaching strategy for teaching AI literacy combined with any standard.

As if that wasn't enough travel, as part of our partnership with Inspirit VR, I also got to visit schools in the Burbank, CA and Columbus, Ohio areas to get them up and going with immersive learning.

Inspirit's now has career exploration and training simulations. Warning: the career simulations may cause addiction. ??

Learning Opportunities

?? April 13-15, 2024: I am thrilled to be sharing all things AI and education at the inaugural ASU+GSV AIR Show–the world’s largest event at the frontier of the AI Revolution in EDU. Join me at the San Diego Convention Center. Tickets are FREE but space is limited.

?? April 16, 2024, at 5:00 PM EST: Join me for a free webinar with Hāpara, "Highlights and Workspace and AI... Oh My!"

?? ISTE Conference: I will be in Denver this June at the ISTE conference. I will be sharing my session schedule in the coming weeks.

?? Simplified personalized learning with AI: A great read if you are interested in learning how to use AI to meet the UDL principle of multiple means of representation.